Patient privacy is an important aspect of healthcare. Government regulations place strict guidelines on the sharing of medical data. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) of 1996 introduced strict rules regarding the sharing of individually identifiable health information. The introduction of the internet and electronic communication has led to new problems in the sharing of personal health information. Some of this information cannot be given over the telephone or transmitted in an email because of its sensitive nature. Further, there are times when a patient needs to relay electronic medical information to another provider or an in-home caretaker or some other third party. Thus, electronic communications between a patient and provider can be difficult to accomplish, and current online communication networks, hubs, and components for messaging are not sufficient technological solutions.